The Dark One
by xxTrinityxx
Summary: Trinity Jones's first year at Hogwarts was full of misadventures that often landed her in trouble, and not always the sort of trouble she could talk her way out of. This is the start of her second year at Hogwarts. She has just learned the truth about her mother, and has to face the consequences. Sequel to Darkness Rising.
1. At Peace

Chapter 1: At Peace

Many ordinary people thought that Drwgg llarien was an odd place. Most of the inhabitants of the nearby village avoided the strange house. The children sometimes dared each other to go to the house, but none of them ever made it. Those who did get too close were usually turned around after forgetting where they were going.

Trinity Jones had only started living there with her best friend, Mercy Messenger and her family since June. She inhabited a medium sized bedroom next to Mercy's.

The twelve-year-old girl could not be much happier living with the Messengers. Having spent her life, up until the end of last summer in a muggle orphanage, unaware that she was a witch, she felt more at home living in Drwgg llarien. She enjoyed home cooked meals every night before going to her room to work on the homework her Hogwarts professors set her. During the days, she spent the majority of her time outside with Mercy, practicing for Quidditch. That was the downside of living with the Quidditch captain for her house team, but Trinity got stronger and more confident because of it.

Suffice to say, life was peaceful at Drwgg llarien. At least it was with the exception of the weekly Wizard's Chess match Mercy had insisted upon having ever since they returned from Hogwarts for the summer holiday.

"Bishop to E-9," said Trinity, who had just lost her last knight to Mercy's Queen.

Mercy arched her eyebrow skeptically. She still had most of her pieces, with the exception of a couple pawns and one of her knights. "Queen, take Bishop E-9." She looked up at Trinity with a smug look on her face.

"Rook, take Queen E-9," said Trinity. She grinned when Mercy's expression faltered.

"An' you just left your King defenseless," said Mercy triumphantly. "Bishop, take her King out; check mate."

"You baited me with your Queen!" Trinity gasped as her King was smashed to pieces.

"That _is_ how the game is played," replied Mercy.

Trinity leapt over the game board and tackled Mercy. She had the older girl pinned for a bit before Mercy had her in an arm lock.

"Do you give up?" Mercy asked lazily. She twisted so that she was sitting on top of Trinity.

"Girls!" Lynne chided from the kitchen. She stood in the doorway with her fists planted firmly on her rounded hips in a no-nonsense manner. Her expression betrayed her bemusement. "Honestly, I was unaware Alex had returned home." She shook her head and returned to the kitchen.

Mercy got off of Trinity. She was still grinning smugly. The expression could have only come from someone who lived their entire life with sibblings. "I never thought you'd become such a sore loser."

"You've beaten me every game," sniffed Trinity defiantly.

"I'm really good at chess," said Mercy, shrugging.

"Do you ever lose?" Trinity blurted out.

"Nope, not really," said Mercy. "Want to go another round?"

"I'd rather not," said Trinity stiffly. She got to her feet and stretched. "Why did your mum think Alex had come home?"

"Alex an' I used to wrestle all the time as kids," answered Mercy. "It used to drive mum nuts when we'd fight. Eventually, she started making us go outside so she wouldn't 'ave to deal with us. I remember it got so bad at one point that mum refused to use magic to 'eal us."

"You guys actually hurt each other?"

"All the time, yeah." Mercy nodded, pretending to be serious. "It was always over stupid stuff like chores or who got to use the family owl to send letters."

Trinity was then really glad that Lynne had gotten her a falcon last Christmas. She could not imagine fighting with Mercy over something so trivial. She clambered to her feet. "I probably should get to work on that essay Professor Diederich assigned at the end of term." She left the living room in favor of her own bedroom and the solitude it offered.

She knelt down to scratch Melunise's ears when her cat ran to greet her. The tuxedo cat was not small anymore. She had grown to what Trinity hoped would be her full size, otherwise Melunise would have to stop sleeping on Trinity's chest at night.

Artemis screeched at her, and Trinity instinctually knew that her falcon was simply seeking her attention. She got back to her feet and went over to her dresser where Artemis was perched and stroked the bird's breast feathers. "Hungry, Artemis?" She held up her arm, wincing slightly as Artemis's talons gripped her. She walked over to her window, opened it, and sent Artemis off to hunt in the nearby fields. It was certainly easier, and cleaner than feeding Artemis a dead mouse like she had to do at Hogwarts.

She walked over to her desk and sat down. She immediately got to work on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay on counter jinxes. When she could not think of anything more to write, she took out her wand to practice the movements of each spell she had learned the previous year. Most of them were second nature to her by now, but she felt that their usefulness had not deteriorated just because she was about to enter into her second year of school.

She leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. Her thoughts drifted to Kathryn, as they had often done that summer. Her mother was evil; there was no denying that. Still, she felt sad that she could never spend the time to get to know Kathryn as a daughter should know her mother. She silently cursed her heritage, thinking that it was a cruel twist of fate that her mother had been considered the foulest witch since the time of Voldemort.

Melunise leapt into her lap and meowed, distracting Trinity from her dark thoughts. She purred when Trinity stroked her fur and curled up in Trinity's lap.

"Trinity, mum said dinner's ready!" Mercy called from the hallway.

"I'll be right down," Trinity called back. She picked Melunise up, earning a disgruntled meow. She carried her cat down into the dining room before setting her down.

"Did you get anywhere on your essay?" Mercy asked as she walked into the dining room, holding a platter of freshly baked bread.

"Actually, I did," answered Trinity with a lopsided grin. "I might actually be able to finish it tonight after dinner."

"You shouldn't 'ave waited 'til tonigh' to work on it," chided Mercy.

"I'll get it done, Mercy," scoffed Trinity.

"Girls, quit bickering," said Lynne reproachfully. She came into the dining room with a large pot of bean and ham soup. "Now where's your father?" She looked to the front door while biting her bottom lip.

"I'm sure he's jus' running a couple minutes late from work, mum."

"He seemed to have thought that tonight would be a short one this morning," muttered Lynne.

The front door opened, and with it came the sound of two voices that made Trinity smile. Molly was with John. The middle Messenger daughter had moved out shortly after getting a job in Hogsmead as a brew mistress in one of the pubs. This fact made Trinity want to visit Hogsmead all the more, but she still had to wait until her third year.

"Ah, just in time," said John when he entered the dining room. "It smells lovely, dear." He pecked Lynne on the cheek with a kiss before taking his place at the head of the table.

"Well, it appears that it was a smart decision to cook a large dinner," said Lynne, looking to her middle daughter.

"Oh, sorry mum." Molly blushed a light shade of pink. "There was no time to send a message by the time dad caught me in London."

"What were you doing there?" Trinity asked curiously.

"A bit of grocery shopping. And I was looking for furniture to spruce up my flat."

"Lets eat then!" Lynne said, taking her seat across from John.

"Oh, Lynne, I got a promotion at the Ministry!" John's face lit up while he waited for his announcement to sink in.

"Really, John? That's lovely news!"

"I'll be the new head of the foreign relations office, which will mean more traveling, but a big bonus in my pay."

"I'm sure we can manage," said Lynne.

Dinner that night was filled with story telling, which was a common occurrence with the Messengers during dinnertime. Trinity listened to them while she ate her soup. That was also a common thing during dinner.

Lynne sent Mercy and Trinity to bed shortly after dinner, stating that she did not want them to get too used to staying up all night with the new term starting in just a few short weeks. Trinity did not go to sleep right away. She let Artemis back in the moment she got back into her room. She also had to feed Melunise, for fear of retribution throughout the night. She worked more on her essay before finally allowing herself to get any sleep.


	2. The Invitation

Chapter 2: The Invitation

Something clicked on the window. It was an irritating sound that set Trinity's teeth on edge. She did her best to ignore it, despite Melunise meowing and Artemis screeching. Eventually, she was not able to ignore the sound any longer. She scrambled out of her bed to discover a barn owl at her window, with a letter tied to its left foot. It hooted at her reproachfully before she opened her window. She took the letter, but before she could open it, the owl flew off.

She grumbled under her breath as she fumbled to open it. The letter was from Albus Potter, one of her best friends from Hogwarts. They were in the same year, but he was in Gryffindor, so she did not spend as much time with him as she did his cousin, Rose Weasley, who was in Ravenclaw with her.

_Trinity,_

_ I hope you're enjoying the summer holiday. I had to spend last weekend over at my dad's cousin's house. It was a nightmare. I don't even know why my dad insisted on going over there. I think it might be because James tricked Lily with one of my Uncle George's puking pastels two days before as punishment, but I had to go with! _

_ Anyway, I'm writing you because my mum managed to get an extra ticket to the Quidditch World Cup for next week. I was wondering if you'd like to go. You'd have to come and spend the night before the game, as we'll be leaving really early in the morning. I really hope you can go. Rose and her family will be there too. I don't know about anyone else. Send your reply as soon as you know. Dad says he can swing by to pick you up on his way home from work._

_Albus_

Trinity's stomach felt like there were butterflies fluttering around. She had learned about the tradition of a Quidditch World Cup every summer from the reading she had done after being persuaded to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a Chaser the previous year, but she had not imagined that she would ever have the chance to actually see one until after she was out of school.

She paced around her room, waiting until she heard signs of life coming from the downstairs. Lynne was supposed to be off for the next couple days, and John had said that he was supposed to take a day off as well.

It was a while before she heard sounds coming from the kitchen. She took her letter with her downstairs, taking them two at a time in her excitement. She stumbled down the last two, and would have fallen flat on her face if it was not for John catching her.

"You ok, Trinity?" He looked at her, frowning thoughtfully.

"Yeah—fine. Thanks," said Trinity breathlessly. She smiled through her blushing cheeks. "Erm—is Lynne in the kitchen?"

"She is." John blinked at her, obviously confused.

Trinity scurried off to the kitchen. She found Lynne in the kitchen, cooking a pot of oatmeal for breakfast. "Erm—Lynne?"

"What is it, dear?" Lynne asked kindly, though she did not turn to look at Trinity.

"I—I was wondering if I could go to the Quidditch World Cup with Albus Potter and his family next week. Albus said that his dad could pick me up on his way home from work." Trinity cringed, already regretting her choice of words.

Lynne was silent for several moments. Even though Trinity could not see her face, she knew that the matronly witch was frowning thoughtfully. "I really don't think it is a good idea for you to go," she said finally.

"Why not?" Trinity asked angrily. She glared at Lynne, feeling that her answer was unfair.

"First of all, your mother is still out there. People know about Kathryn, and I imagine quite a few out there know who you are by now."

"Mr. Potter is an auror," argued Trinity. "There's hardly a safer place for me right now than with him."

"You're not going Trinity," said Lynne firmly.

"You're not my mother!" Trinity yelled out of anger. Her eyes widened from shock at what she had just said, even before Lynne slapped her across the cheek. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to flow down her cheeks. She turned to run out of the house. She ignored Lynne's commands to get back in the house once she was out. She ran and ran, all the way to the neighboring village. She stopped under a birch tree, where she collapsed from exhaustion.

She rolled onto her back and glared up at the perfectly blue sky. A light breeze touched her skin, cooling it as it dried her sweat. Off in the distance, children played in the park. None of them had paid any attention to her; she did not mind. She knew none of them, and she was still uncertain about the rules regarding interactions with muggles. She sighed heavily as her angered thoughts toward Lynne turned to Nigel. He was her only friend while she lived in the orphanage in Cambridge. She wondered if he had been adopted out yet.

After a while of lying in the grass, she got to her feet and slowly walked back toward Drwgg llarien. She kicked rocks that were in her way. While she walked back, she wondered if Lynne was still upset with her. She felt a knot forming in her stomach when she thought of the horrible things she had said to Lynne. After all, Lynne was the closest thing she had ever had to a mother, or at least how Trinity imagined mothers should be.

She stopped at the edge of the lawn. It took her a few moments to get the courage to continue. She heard voices from the kitchen.

"Lynne, she'll be fine with Harry and Ginny," said John. It sounded like he was pleading with his wife.

Trinity scurried under the window. Her heart thumped wildly against her chest, almost drowning out John's voice.

"I already told her she isn't going," argued Lynne. "By letting her go now, especially with how she behaved will teach her that she can get away with being disrespectful."

"Lynne—I'm sure she is still confused about Kathryn being her mother. She doesn't show it because she's probably afraid that people will start comparing her to Kathryn."

"That doesn't change the fact that I already told her no."

"I still think it'll be good for her to get out of the house for a couple days."

Silence blanketed them for a few moments that felt dragged out to Trinity. "Oh, alright then! She can go, but I want to talk to Harry first."

Trinity beamed. She could not believe her ears. John had actually convinced Lynne to let her go see the Quidditch World Cup. She scrambled away from the kitchen window and hurried into the house. She made sure that she still looked upset, but when she entered the kitchen, Lynne cast her a knowing look.

"I've decided to let you go to the Quidditch game," she said somberly. "On _one condition_," she added when Trinity's face lit up. "You make sure that you stay with Harry and Ginny at _all_ times. I don't want you running off on your own like you did so often last year at Hogwarts."

"Erm—Lynne?" Trinity's voice cracked slightly. She avoided looking up at Lynne. Instead, her eyes were focused on the dishes washing themselves in the sink. "I'm sorry—about what I said earlier."

"I know," said Lynne softly. She stepped forward to pull Trinity into a tight embrace. Trinity stiffened at first, but she relaxed shortly after. "Now go and send that letter to Albus and pack your things."

Trinity smiled up at Lynne before hurrying off to her room. She sat at her desk and took out a quill and blank piece of parchment (something she was running in short supply of), and wrote:

_Albus,_

_ I am sorry it took so long to get back to you. Lynne said I can go! What time should I expect your dad to come pick me up?_

_Trinity_

She rolled the parchment up and tied it with a bit of string. She had to set Melunise on the ground several times to stop her cat from attacking it. She held up her arm. "Artemis, I've got a job for you."

Artemis stared at her for a long minute before gliding over to her arm. The falcon held out her leg in an almost bored gesture.

"Take this to Albus. Afterwards, you can hunt to your heart's content." Once Trinity was sure that her note was tied securely to Artemis's leg, she sent the bird of prey out the window.


	3. The Memorial

Chapter 3: The Memorial Statue

Trinity received her reply from Albus later that afternoon. She had spent most of her time while waiting for Artemis to return pacing back and forth in her room.

Her door opened just as she was stuffing her rucksack with clothes she would need for her time with the Potters. She whipped around with her wand drawn.

"Easy, Trinity," said Mercy, holding her hands up. "So, mum is letting you go after all." She plopped down on Trinity's bed.

"She is," replied Trinity.

"Root for Ireland for me, will you?" Mercy grinned and winked at Trinity.

"Wasn't Mrs. Potter a Chaser for the Holy-Head Harpies?" Trinity asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"She was," replied Mercy with a shrug. "But I'm Irish; it would be a shame for me to not root for my own team." She winked at Trinity again.

"Well, seeing as how I don't know anything about either team, I suppose it won't matter who I root for." She shoved a couple t-shirts into her rucksack, along with a couple extra pairs of jeans.

"At least you can't root for the English," sighed Mercy heavily.

Trinity shot her a glare. "What's wrong with the English?"

"What isn't wrong with them?" Mercy snorted rhetorically.

"I happened to have lived my whole life in England."

"Yes, I know. Mum had to go an' rescue you from that horrible muggle place."

Trinity turned away suddenly. She pretended to have more interest in petting Melunise than listening to Mercy. Really though, she just wished that she could simply forget about her life at the orphanage, that she could forget Nigel. She scrambled to her feet when she heard a loud crack from outside.

"That must be Mr. Potter," said Mercy. She walked over to the window with Trinity, and sure enough, Mr. Potter was stepping into the yard. He quickly disappeared into the house.

"See you when I get back then," said Trinity.

"Have fun," replied Mercy with a smile. She clapped Trinity on the back before waltzing out of the room, humming along the way.

Trinity ran her hand through her hair while she checked her room to make sure that she had not forgotten anything. She looked down at Melunise. "Behave yourself, Melunise," she told her cat seriously. She left her room and went downstairs. She stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"—anything happens to her, Harry Potter, I swear I will hunt you down!" Lynne's raised voice echoed throughout the main floor of the house.

"I doubt that—I mean, I will guard her with my life, Lynne," promised Mr. Potter, stammering.

"I mean it, Harry."

"I know."

Trinity snuck into the living room. She could not help but to snort at the scene before her. Mr. Potter was cowering away from Lynne, and Lynne looked positively frightening as she towered over the trained auror.

"Trinity," they said in unison, turning to her.

"Hi, Mr. Potter," said Trinity. Her cheeks grew warm as she blushed.

"Ready to go?" Mr. Potter asked with a warm smile.

"Yup." Trinity grinned, suddenly excited that she was actually going to see the Quidditch World Cup. She even allowed for Lynne to hug her good-bye before being swept away with Mr. Potter.

"Having a good summer, Trinity?" Mr. Potter asked as they crossed the threshold of the yard.

"Y—yes," stammered Trinity nervously. "Anyway, better than it would be if I was forced to go back to the orphanage."

Mr. Potter grimaced sourly. "Sorry that you had to grow up there."

"Yeah—I've been wondering about that ever since Professor McGonagall told me what you did."

"I'll explain—someday. For now, just know that I lived my first eleven years with no idea that I'm a wizard—with my deranged aunt and uncle and cousin." He smiled wryly. "And I had to return to them every summer to keep me safe from Voldemort."

Trinity grimaced, but she was not going to question him further, at least not yet. She fell silent for a long moment. "How are we getting to your house?"

"I thought we'd Apparate." He looked down at her. "Have you ever Apparated before?"

"I can't say that I have," admitted Trinity.

"Well, I can't say that it's a pleasant experience your first time. You'll experience a pulling sensation from your nasal cavity, and you might vomit."

Trinity gaped at him. She wondered how anyone could willingly do something that would be so unpleasant that they might vomit. She uncertainly reached for his arm when he asked her to. The moment she got a grip on him, she felt darkness pressing down on her on all sides. As quickly as it started, it disappeared and she found herself falling to the chilled grass. She gasped for breath.

"Trinity!" Mr. Potter knelt at her side and gingerly helped her to her feet.

"I never want to do that again!"

Mr. Potter laughed nervously. "It gets better once you get used to it." He led her into the house, although he practically had to carry her because her legs were too wobbly to walk on her own.

"Trinity!" Albus tackled her when she was barely through the threshold. Trinity grunted on impact. They stumbled back into Mr. Potter, who held them steady.

"Hi—Albus," she choked before he released her. She grinned as she looked up at him. Over the summer holiday, he had grown at least two inches, and he was now taller than she was.

"You're home early, dear," said Mrs. Potter as she walked into the foyer. She beamed at Trinity. "Hello, Trinity."

"Hi, Mrs. Potter," replied Trinity shyly. She took a moment to look around. The Potters had not cut corners in decorating their house. It was kept tidy, although it still felt like people lived there. Against the wall leading to the rest of the house was a grandfather clock, but instead of telling time, it had the names and faces of everyone in the family on the hands, and where the time was supposed to be were names of places. Mr. Potter's hand moved from traveling to home.

"It tells where everyone in the family is," murmured Mr. Potter in Trinity's ear.

"I can tell that much," scoffed Trinity, puffing her chest out defensively.

"Go ahead and show Trinity around, Albus," said Mrs. Potter, smiling at her youngest son. "Then you can go and help your brother clean out the basement."

"But mum!" Albus whined.

"Don't but mum me," snapped Mrs. Potter hotly. "You still have chores to do. Trinity can look after herself while you do them."

"I can help. I don't mind," said Trinity softly.

"That's very kind of you," said Mrs. Potter, smiling. She gave Trinity a quick hug before hurrying away with Mr. Potter trailing behind at her heels.

"Honestly, she can be such a slave driver sometimes," grumbled Albus.

"I don't think so," said Trinity, frowning. "When I lived at the orphanage, Ms. Whitby used to whip me with a yard stick if I didn't do my chores fast enough."

"Muggles sure are weird," said Albus, shaking his head. "They think that beating you would get you to work faster?"

"I don't think all of them are like that," said Trinity. "But I didn't know too many of them outside the orphanage."

Albus frowned. He shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Hey, let me show you the guest room where you'll be sleeping tonight." He led her down the hall to the staircase.

Trinity hurried after him. She kept under a thoughtful silence. Not for the first time since she met Albus on the boats as they floated across the water to Hogwarts, she wondered how much money his family possessed. The house was enormous, much bigger than Drwgg llarian.

She gaped when he showed her the guest room. It was twice as big as her room at Drwgg llarian. A large queen sized bed sat in the far corner. The room was decorated in reds and golds. The wardrobe stood close to the bed. A large writing desk sat against the window. Other than that, the room was empty.

"I know it isn't much," muttered Albus, shifting his feet.

"Are you kidding me? This place is huge!" Trinity beamed. "I never imagined that you lived such a luxurious life!"

"Well, mum always told me to keep quiet about my family's wealth while at school." Albus blushed.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it's because money isn't everything when we're at school. Or even when we get out into the real world."

"We should go help James," said Trinity after standing in the doorway for a long while. She threw her rucksack onto the bed before walking with Albus down to the basement.

It reminded her a little of the dungeons at Hogwarts, except that it was more inviting. Herbs hung from the ceiling to dry. The walls were lined with bookshelves full of thick volumes and scrolls.

"About time you got down here, Al!" James growled as he dusted the bookshelves. "Oh, hi Trinity." He grinned at her.

"Mum only just now told me that you were down here," scoffed Albus. He glanced around. "Looks like you're almost done though."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," grumbled James. "It would have been quicker if I could use magic."

"We aren't allowed outside school," said Trinity pointedly.

James rolled his eyes at her. "Since when has a rule stopped you from doing anything, Trinity? C'mon, you went into the Forbidden Forest last year, and that's _strictly_ off limits to students. Not to mention running away at the end of term."

Trinity frowned sourly. She reached up to touch her face, where the scars were still very visible from her run in with a werewolf last year. It served as a physical reminder that not everything about the world she embraced was benign. She had long gotten over the fact that her face was forever ruined; she actually found that she liked how the scars made her look. They gave her a more rugged appearance.

"Well, what do you two say to getting out for a while before mum calls dinner?" James set his duster down. "I doubt Trinity has seen the statue yet."

"What statue?" Trinity asked, blinking.

"You'll see," replied James with a wink. He led the way out of the basement.

Trinity followed with Albus in close tow. The trio snuck out the back, which did strike Trinity as being a little odd, but she said nothing. They walked down the street.

Many of the muggles they past gave Trinity odd stares. Some of them huddled together to whisper to their neighbor. Trinity gritted her teeth, but made no move to retaliate. She heard snatches of conversation while she followed James, most of it had to do with her scars.

"Here we are," said James. He was somehow more somber as he stood before the statue in front of them.

Trinity looked up. It was a young family: a man, woman, and baby boy. She felt a surge of mixed emotions: peace and pain swept through her, and she could not explain why. "What is this?"

"Our grandparents holding dad," answered James. "It is a monument to their bravery for standing up to Voldemort. They were murdered on October 31, 1981—when Voldemort turned to finish dad, the curse backfired, and Voldemort disappeared for thirteen years."

"Muggles can't see it," added Albus. "To them, it is an obelisk with a list of the dead from their wars."

Trinity cast her eyes downward. At the foot of the statue, she saw a bundle of flowers. "Someone was here recently," she stated softly.

"Witches and wizards still come through here to pay their respects to our family," explained James.

After a long moment of silence, Trinity followed the Potter boys back to their house. She did not tell Mr. or Mrs. Potter about their trip to the memorial statue. She went to the guest room after dinner, claiming that she wanted to get as much sleep as possible before they were all to leave early the following morning to the site of the Quidditch World Cup. She did not get much sleep that night. Her thoughts gravitated around the statue and the family it portrayed. She thought of how lonely that little boy's life must have been; she could certainly understand him.


	4. Quidditch World Cup

Chapter 4: Quidditch World Cup

"Trinity, get up! We need to leave in an hour!" Mrs. Potter knocked on the bedroom door.

She groaned as she forced her eyes open. The dim light from the lantern in the doorway to the room she had stayed in was too bright for her. She sat up slowly and rubbed away the crust from her eyes. She yawned as Mrs. Potter scurried away to wake her children.

She wondered why they had to be up so early. She felt like she had just gotten to sleep when Mrs. Potter pounded on the door. James had told her that the match was not to take place until later that evening.

Trinity blinked, wondering when, if ever James was one hundred percent truthful. She shook her head helplessly, making a mental note to never trust the eldest Potter again.

"Good morning, Trinity," said Mr. Potter mildly as she made her way into the dining room. He was flipping through _The Quibbler_ with a bemused expression.

Trinity grunted as she took her seat at the table next to Albus. She yawned again as Mrs. Potter distributed the plates of toast and scrambled eggs. She thanked Mrs. Potter before eating her breakfast.

"After breakfast, you four need to get dressed," said Mrs. Potter seriously.

"Relax dear, we won't be late," said Mr. Potter, grinning as he set down his magazine.

Trinity blinked at them before returning to her food. She was the first to finish, and without waiting for Mrs. Potter's prodding, she excused herself upstairs.

She dressed herself in the most comfortable jeans and a t-shirt she brought with her, thinking how odd it would be for a muggle to see her in the usual garments for a witch, especially because it was still two months before Halloween. She thought of how sad it was that only on Halloween could witches and wizards go out in their every day garb among muggles and not get stared at for it.

When she returned downstairs, everyone else was waiting for her. She blushed when she realized that she had taken her sweet time to get ready.

"Come on now. James, quit teasing your sister. Lily, don't egg him on." Mrs. Potter gathered the children around her as they made their way outside.

Trinity's eyes softened at the sight. There was a hint of jealousy burning up while she looked on. She forgot it when Mr. Potter steered her into following.

"Looking forward to the World Cup?" He asked her with a light smile.

"Very much so," she answered with a nod, returning his smile. "Thank you for inviting me, sir."

He chuckled lightly. "It was Albus's idea."

"Oh." She blinked, not sure how she felt about Albus coming up with the idea to invite her out for the Quidditch World Cup. She liked him well enough; he was one of her best friends after all.

"Harry, Trinity, hurry around here!" Mrs. Potter called from the end of the road. She was waiting for them near the cemetery.

Trinity squeezed into the circle; curious as to why they were gathered around a flowerpot. She looked around. No one else seemed to find this as strange as she did.

"It's a portkey, dear," explained Mrs. Potter patiently.

"A what?"

"It's how we're getting to the match, since we're all too young to apparate," said James with a grin.

Trinity's eyebrows shot up. She sighed inwardly, having long since given up on questioning anything in the strange world she had found herself dragged into since that day Lynne found her at the orphanage.

When she was asked to, she put her fingers on the pot and felt something quickly tugging her from her nasal cavity and yanking her forward. She almost screamed out as the pressure squeezed around her painfully before she was suddenly released. She fell onto her back, the breath knocked out of her.

She blinked up at a tree that was not there a moment ago. The church was also gone. No, she was someplace different.

She took Mrs. Potter's hand and was somewhat pleased that Lily had also fallen over. She grinned sheepishly at Lily.

"It was her first time to use a portkey as well," explained Mr. Potter in Trinity's ear.

Trinity flushed with embarrassment. She followed behind the Potters in silence. As she walked, she noticed a few of her classmates from her year, although she could not remember their names because they were all from different houses. Albus waved to a boy from Gryffindor, but said nothing.

"Ah, here we are," said Mr. Potter appreciatively. "James, be a good lad and get the tent out. Albus, you go ahead and take Lily and Trinity out to collect firewood for tonight."

"Dad, only muggles—"

"You listen to your father, Albus Severus Potter," snapped Mrs. Potter.

"Yes, mum," groaned Albus. He took Lily by the hand and pulled her away while Trinity trailed behind.

"Erm—Albus," said Trinity uncertainly when they were out of earshot.

"Yeah?"

"Are we all going to sleep in one tent?"

He blinked at her. "Of course we are. Have you never been camping before?"

"Well—no," she admitted sheepishly. "But normal people sleep in their own tent."

Albus's eyebrows shot up skeptically. "When will you ever learn that our definition of normal is different from muggles? My dad's cousin is a muggle, and he's probably the worst sort of person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Bloody pig, he is." He shook his head while muttering under his breath.

"Charlie isn't so bad though," said Lily in a small voice.

"Charlie? You don't mean to say that Charlie Dursley is your dad's cousin's son?" Trinity recognized the name as soon as she heard it. Charlie Dursley was a fellow Ravenclaw. He was a quiet boy, at least around her. She never talked with him much, and he tended to be shy during classes.

"Yeah. He's a Ravenclaw. It really threw Dudley for a right loop when Charlie got his letter last summer." Albus chortled at the thought of Dudley's face when the owl arrived.

"Doesn't Charlie's father not like magic?"

"Oh no. He's actually quite terrified of it. Hagrid told me a story last year of how he made a pig tail grow out of Dudley's arse when he went to take my dad away from his aunt and uncle for the first time."

Trinity giggled at the image of an older version of Charlie growing a pig's tail. She knew that she shouldn't be laughing at someone else's misfortune, but she did find it funny.

She knelt down to start picking up twigs to use as fire kindling. It was a menial task, but it kept her busy.

"Albus! Lily! Trinity!" Mr. Potter called out.

"Well, we'd better get back," sighed Albus. "Lily, are you sure you can carry that?"

Lily was carrying a stack of firewood and it appeared that she was struggling with it. She nodded, apparently not trusting her words as she staggered after her brother.

"Here, let me help." Trinity took the top two pieces and walked alongside the Potter siblings.

"Thank you," murmured Lily.

Trinity grinned, pleased that she could actually help. She walked behind the Potters, silently listening to them talk and bet over the outcome of that night's match.

"Three sickles that Ireland wins," said James, grinning.

"Don't let mum hear you," murmured Lily.

"She knows that the Harpies have gone downhill since she left the team," countered James indignantly.

"She still wants to see them win," replied Lily.

"What about you, Trinity?" James looked back at her.

"Well—I just hope that it's going to be a good match."

"You're avoiding the question," grunted James.

"I don't know much about either team," admitted Trinity sheepishly.

"You play Quidditch, and you don't know anything about the two teams in this year's World Cup?" James gaped at her.

"I only started playing last year! And for your information, Mercy bullied me into it. In case you didn't notice last year while you were commentating, I'm not that good at Quidditch."

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing the campsite. Trinity marveled at the tent being bigger on the inside once her chores were done. She played a game of wizard's chess with Albus while they waited for it to be time to go to the match.

"There you are!"

Trinity jumped just as Albus took out her queen. Ranzel poked his head into the tent. His bat was balancing himself atop his head. The third year Hufflepuff grinned at them as he tilted his head. He stepped into the tent. He had grown over the summer, but not by much.

"Bloody Hell Ranzel," gasped Trinity. "You need to quit doing that!"

He laughed heartedly. "Doing what?"

Trinity sighed heavily. "Never mind. How's your summer been so far?"

"Oh, just been traveling with my mum while she does her research on nargles." He shrugged. "How about you?"

"Oh, alright."

"I didn't know you were coming to the World Cup."

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to see you here either," admitted Trinity sheepishly. "See anyone else from school?"

"Scorpius is here with his father. There's quite a few people from school I never talk to. Rose is here with her family."

"Albus—Trinity—time to go," Mrs. Potter poked her head into the tent. She blinked at Ranzel. "And you are?"

"He's a friend of ours from school," answered Trinity, recalling all the times she asked for his name last year.

"I was asking your friend, Trinity," said Mrs. Potter with forced patience.

"Ranzel Lovegood." He smiled broadly when Trinity gaped at him. He started to leave. "Maybe I'll see you guys at the match." With that, he ran off.

"Just as odd as his mother," mumbled Mrs. Potter, shaking her head helplessly. "C'mon you two. We don't want to get caught up in a large crowd." She motioned for them to follow her.

Trinity went out first. She started getting giddy as she followed the Potters to the stadium. She was looking forward to seeing what a professional Quidditch match was like. She laughed at James's jokes, though she was not entirely sure what any of them meant. She was just happy that she had the opportunity to see the Quidditch World Cup with some of her closest friends.

The stands were already starting to fill up when they got there. Trinity stiffened when Mr. Potter gripped her by the shoulder and steered her into his desired direction. They found their seats without many problems.

"Trinity!"

She grunted when someone with light red hair tackled her. Mr. Potter had to keep her steady so that she did not crumble under the impact.

"Rose—hi!" She smiled at her friend. "Ranzel said that you were here," she added breathlessly.

"Yeah, I ran into him a couple hours ago," said Rose. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Erm—there wasn't really any time to send Artemis out. It was sort of a last minute thing."

"Well, I'm glad you could come," said Rose, beaming.

"Rose! There you—oh, Harry—Ginny!" A woman Trinity recognized as Rose's mother came bustling over to them.

"Hermione," said Mr. and Mrs. Potter in unison. They smiled at her.

"Rose, never run off like that again!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"Lay off on her, Hermione." Mr. Weasley walked over to them with Hugo close by. "She was just saying hi."

"It's alright, Hermione," said Mr. Potter mildly. "Why don't you all sit with us?"

"We'd love to, Harry!" Mr. Weasley beamed as he sat next to his best friend from school.

Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily as she took her seat next to her husband. She whispered something to him and his ears went red.

They all waited in anticipation for the match to start. Trinity barely heard the announcements of the Minister of Magic or the names of the Quidditch players. She was enthralled by how they all moved together in a precise formation. She was barely able to keep up with their movements as the match progressed. Dark and light green blurred together as both teams fought for possession of the Quaffle. This on going struggle was the one Trinity was most interested in watching. Boos and cheers filled her ears, but they meant nothing to her.

All of a sudden, everything was over. A woman in dark green robes circled the stadium with her right arm held up high: the golden snitch still struggling. That signaled the end of the match, with the Holyhead Harpies as the winners. Mrs. Potter cheered the loudest from where they were.

"Pay up, James!" Lily held out her hand with a smug grin on her face.

James looked disgusted as he handed his sister two sickles. He cowered away from his mother at her glare at this exchange.

That night, the Weasleys and Potters celebrated together. Trinity even partook when Mrs. Potter handed her a butter beer. It was a sweet drink that went down her throat smoothly. She laughed while they all relived their favorite moments of the match.

A/N: I apologize for those of you who were waiting for this story to update. Life and school got in the way for me. Updates will be slower until the middle of June.


End file.
